Portable refrigerant recovery units or carts are used in connection with the service and maintenance of refrigeration systems including an automotive vehicle's air conditioning system. The refrigerant recovery unit connects to the air conditioning system of the automotive vehicle to recover refrigerant out of the system, separate out oil and contaminants, and recharge the system with additional refrigerant.
Over time, the air conditioning system may develops leaks, both large and small. Therefore, equipment is needed to check for these leaks. Leaking refrigerant not only reduces the amount of refrigerant available in the refrigerant system for cooling, but also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. While previous methods to check for leaks have employed introducing a variety of gases such as nitrogen into the refrigeration system, these methods require separate equipment apart from the refrigerant recovery unit, and thus are not an efficient use of equipment or service time.